Laos halts approvals for potash mines in Vientiane
Published by Oliver Kleinschmidt,
Deputy Editor
World Fertilizer,
The Lao government has halted all surveys, exploration, and implementation of potash projects in the capital, Vientiane, according to a notice issued on 1 July by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly of Laos, as reported by Argus Media.
The government will also evaluate and inspect projects that have already been implemented. Currently, at least two China-invested projects — by producers Zangge and Yuntianhua — located in Vientiane are likely to be impacted.
This notice comes after the people's government of Vientiane submitted a petition to the National Economic, Technology, and Environmental Committee in September 2024 to conduct an investigation and evaluation on the impact of these potash mines, and follows a landslide that occurred in Tongmang village in Vientiane on 1 June 2025 and caused damage to residential properties. This decision is likely driven by concerns for environmental protection as well as safety of the residents in Vientiane.
The decision will not impact any of the other potash projects, namely Lao Kaiyuan and Asia Potash, which are located around 400 km away in Khammoune province.
Zangge and Yuntianhua are still waiting on further guidance from the Lao government and have not provided any comment on the matter. Yuntianhua's 500 000 tpy Ruiyuan Richfield project started commercial production at the end of 2024, while Zangge's 1 million tpy project construction has been delayed from 2024 to 2025, without a clear start date.
Original article written by Huijun Yao. Find the original news story here.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/potash/10072025/laos-halts-approvals-for-potash-mines-in-vientiane/
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